Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland advice

Everyone must help stop coronavirus spreading

Only go outside for food, health reasons, work or one form of exercise a day

If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times

Wash your hands as soon as you get home

Do not meet others, even friends or family

Please note that while these measures have been revised for England, they currently still apply in Northern Ireland.

You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.

Preventing the spread of infection

Like seasonal flu, the same public health advice applies for COVID-19: if you cough or sneeze, use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose, throw it away carefully after use, and wash your hands.

The best way to prevent the spread of infections, including COVID-19, is good personal hygiene. This means washing your hands well and often, using soap and water and drying them with paper towels.

Face coverings

It is recommended that you should think about using face coverings in particular circumstances - short periods in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not possible.

In practice, these circumstances will largely mean on public transport and in shops.

The use of face coverings will not be mandatory.

Crucially, do not get a false sense of security about the level of protection provided by wearing a face covering. It is essential that everyone continues to:

practise social distancing as much as humanly possible

wash their hands thoroughly throughout the day

‘catch it, kill it, bin it’ when they sneeze or cough

That’s still the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

What should I do if I think I have COVID-19?

If you have:

a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature); OR

a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual); OR

a loss or changed sense of normal smell or taste.

Everyone in your house must stay at home.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you'll need to stay at home for at least 7 days;

if you live with someone who has symptoms, you'll need to stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person in the home started having symptoms;

however, if you develop symptoms during this 14-day period, you’ll need to stay at home for 7 days from the day your symptoms started (regardless of what day you are on in the original 14-day period);

7 days after your symptoms started, if you do not have a high temperature, you do not need to continue to self-isolate. If you still have a high temperature, keep self-isolating until your temperature returns to normal. You do not need to self-isolate if you just have a cough after 7 days, as a cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone;

if you have symptoms and live with someone who is 70 or over, has a long-term condition, is pregnant or has a weakened immune system, try to find somewhere else they can stay with for the 14-day isolation period;

it is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community;

If you have to stay at home together, try to keep away from each other as much as possible. Guidance on this can be found on the Public Health England website.

You can ring NHS 111 for information or advice and they will help you decide if you need to contact your GP.

Calling your GP is only necessary if you have:

an existing health condition;

problems with your immune system;

very serious symptoms.

Do not attend your GP surgery or emergency department in person before calling ahead and speaking with someone.

If it is a medical emergency and you need to call an ambulance, dial 999 and inform the operator of your symptoms.

Looking after yourself and your family

Staying at home will mean our usual social activities are on hold for the moment. It’s very important that we look after our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Based on the Take 5 steps to wellbeing, this leaflet offers tips on supporting your mental and emotional wellbeing while staying at home during the current coronavirus outbreak.

It’s important that children continue to be active, this fun physical activity record sheet outlines the recommended physical activity guidelines for children aged 5 to 18 and includes an easy way for children to keep track of how much physical activity they are getting.

Information on RISE NI (Regional Integrated Support for Education NI), which supports children during the COVID-19 pandemic by working closely with parents and school staff to help children develop the foundation skills for learning, can be found here.

Can I exercise more than once a day if I need to due to a significant health condition?

If you (or a person in your care) have a specific health condition that requires you to leave the home to maintain your health - including if that involves travel beyond your local area - then you can do so. This will, for example, include individuals with a learning disability or autism who require specific exercise in an open space two or three times each day. This should ideally is agreed by a Health and Social Care professional.

Even in such cases, in order to reduce the spread of infection and protect those exercising, travel outside of the home should be limited, as close to your local area as possible, and you should remain at least two metres apart from anyone who is not a member of your household or carer at all times.

A new COVID-19 NI app has been developed and includes a symptom checker and the latest advice for people living in Northern Ireland.

Do not leave home if you or someone you live with has either

Health Protection Scotland advice

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China. Clinical presentation may range from mild-to-moderate illness to pneumonia or severe acute respiratory infection. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 12 March 2020. We now have spread of COVID-19 within communities in the UK.

Extensive measures have been implemented across many countries to slow the spread of COVID-19. In the UK the current recommendations are for everyone to stay at home as much as possible and severely restrict their interactions with others outside the household.

Information for the public and health professionals advising patients

Further information for the public on COVID-19 can be found on NHS Inform. NHS Inform includes a link to enable people to obtain a self-isolation note for employment and statutory sick pay purposes.

Case definition

Infection prevention and control in healthcare settings

The four UK countries are adopting the COVID-19 guidance for infection prevention and control in healthcare settings. This official guidance was produced jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health Wales, Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), Health Protection Scotland and Public Health England.

This guidance is consistent with the current infection prevention and control advice and guidance that has been issued to and used by NHS Scotland to manage the ongoing response to COVID-19.